January 12, 2024
Often, Siargao Island is described as a tear drop-shaped island. But, meh, I don’t buy it. It is more like a rough diamond cut, which was really the case some years ago. Siargao Island, although many locals will say otherwise, is gradually taking the route most popular destinations take. In […]
March 2, 2023
Last updated: January 2023 It was my first trip abroad (2015), and going somewhere that was rarely traveled to appeal to the rebellious and the reckless in me. A week in Malaysia would mean a selfie with the Petronas Tower at the least, a walk around Penang, a glimpse of […]
February 23, 2023
Before traveling to India, I braced myself for the possible unpleasant encounters with misogyny and utter poverty I often heard from news. Some said, expect people to poo by the road. Yeah, we saw that. Even stepped onto one in Old Delhi. Expect to be tailed. Yes, we experienced that. Expect […]
March 1, 2022
Surfing spots in the Philippines come aplenty. Thanks to facing the great Pacific. Some kindred spirits look for something more intense and more adventurous, and to heed your plea, here is your surfing travel guide in the Philippines. Surfing indeed is not for everyone. But it does not mean, it […]
July 21, 2019
Cameron Highlands Travel Guide covers all the essential information you need to make your stay memorable. I was the only Asian in the 4×4 jeepney. An Israeli couple traveling with their little girl Luna was an endearing sight. The morning air was cool. Everyone donned their cardigan or jacket. I […]
April 1, 2019
Dear Fellow Travel Bloggers, In my list of daily chores to do, one task remained unfinished for the past four months: it says, “Japan, at least 1000 words, for god’s sake, Jona.” I am referring to my sponsored week-long trip to Onomichi City, Hiroshima, Japan last November. I have written […]
February 7, 2017
UPDATED DECEMBER 2017 | MALAYSIA BUDGET TRAVEL GUIDE | Hello there! A version of this guide is posted on Rappler. You see, Malaysia is often my jumpoff point for my past trips (Indonesia, India, Australia). I’be been there five times already. During my recent 12-day trip, my partner and I […]
May 27, 2016
Dear Passport, After my two-hour session with the fifteen-year-old, I transferred to the café’s al fresco area for my other personas to work—the content writer and social media manager, the other selves that must stay connected with the virtual and often fake world. Please remind me that these personas are […]
April 19, 2016
The past two weeks or so have been like an exciting jigsaw of days and ideas and trial and error plans that have often turned out to be the worst decisions, but at other times have pleasantly surprised us. It’s been a detailed board game of buses and hostels and […]
March 4, 2016
He stands out like a sore thumb. He is 6’6″. I am 5’5″ taller than most Filipinas, but I stand like a dwarf beside him. He is white. I’m a dark-skinned Filipina with small eyes. A very odd couple. I know. We were walking around Borobudur (Yogyakarta, Indonesia) last December, […]
February 24, 2016
Earlier last year, I was non-committed and happy with my single-blessedness. A day before Valentine’s Day, I bought a folding bike (from the unexpected teacher’s clothing allowance), rightfully named it Katorse, and biked two towns in southern Cebu on a sunny love day. Oh, yes, alone. READ: Twelve Months of […]
February 11, 2016
Said the overly quoted Pico Iyer, “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, […]